Revolving-cylinder engine



G. H. LUTZ. REVOLVING YLINDER ENGINE. APPLICATION ,mzn FEB. 23. 1911.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

j/VVENTOR G." H. 'LUTZ.

REVOLVING CYLINDER ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED ran. 23. 19w.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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(AWE/v TOR G. H L uZ'Z I A'ttamggs GEORGE H. LUTZ, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

REVOLVING-CYLINDER ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Application filed February 23, 1917. Serial No. 156,493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon H. LUTZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buiialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RevolvingCylinder Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to engines of that type in which an annular group or radially disposed cylinders, containing reciprocating pistons is made to revolve, as a group, about an ecceutrically located shaft to which the pistons, through their rods, are suitably connected.

The engine forming the subject of the present invention is operated by steam or other expansive power medium generated outside the engine and is designed primarily for use in driving land, water, aerial or other motor vehicles where, in addition to economical normal running, comparatively heavy work must be suddenly delivered frequently, as for instance in promptly getting away from a position of rest or negotiating a hill on land, a current on water or in the air, or overcoming other resistance to travel or developing a sudden spurt. This end is attained by providing a system of valve control, in a revolving cylinder engine having a plurality of cylinders, whereby, at the will or the operator, the supply of pressure medium may not only be regulated in duhz tion with respect to each cylinder as it reaches the point of admission, but such supply may be prolonged in one cylinder until after the pressure medium is admitted to the succeeding cylinder and even continued in both cylinders simultaneously, when necessar or in more than two cylinders simultaneously, if desired. That is to say the duration of valve opening and consequently the time of running under direct pressure may be regulated, at will,in each cylinder individually or conjointly with one or more following cylinders in order to develop a sudden spurt of horsepower greatly in eX- cess of that which the engine can maintain indefinitely or at which it is rated. The valve control is preferably attained through means of a single element, such for instance as a cam which is adapted to develop the difi'erent phases of valve adjustment from no opening up to maximum duration of direct pressure drive, by progressive movement or adjustment of the cam and to establish the several phases or stages of ad justment, in reverse order, by progressive return movement or sudden return move ment, as may be desired. It is to be understood that phasing the valve as described, varies the ratio of direct pressure drive to expansion drive and that the valve phasing mechanism provides for shortest possible cut off for most economical running well as full duration of direct pressure.

The system oi valve control herein described, lends itself with special advantage to a duplication of the controlling cam in making a reversing. engine. Another feature therefore consists in providing a: reversely acting valve controlling element in position to open the valves either individually or with the described lap, inreverse order and with graduation so as to develop reverse running; the two valve actuating elements being preferably in the form or cams lying on opposite sides oi a single munipulating connection or lever so arranged that when. in an intermediate position both valve cams will be wholly out or effective position whereas, when thrown in opposite directions, it will engage the respective cams and present them in the path. of the valve stems or other valve actuating connections and by graduating the movements of the cams, develop the regulation already re ferred to.

The described system of valve control is applicable with a special advantage to a uniflow engine in which the pressure medium is supplied at one end of the cylinder and exhausts at the other end, and in which, for the sake of eflieiency, small clearance is left above the outer limit of the piston stroke. In such a construction, particularly when direct pressure drive is continued for nearly the whole of the working stroke the pressure medium may not fully exhaust at the end of the stroke, or water may accumulate in a cylinder so that considerable pressure, even above boiler pressure may develop on the return stroke of the piston. In such case automatic relief must be provided to avoid breakage. Another feature of the present invention consists in constructing the valve, as for instance by making it in the form of a double disk differential area valve, with excess area acting in the direc tion to open the valve, and leaving the valve stem unrestrained, so that the valve can open and permit back flow into the pressure medium pipe Whenever compression in the cylinder exceeds the main pressure supply.

Other features of the invention relate to details of construction of various parts of the structure, such for instance as the provision of an annular series of piston rods lying in one planewith independent strap or wrist bearings lying each in a different plane,

- upon a common eccentric shaft; the mounting of the valves whereby they develop a counter acting or balancing centrifugal force; thelocation of the valve opening mechanism at the bottom of the engine to insuredrainage of water of condensation;

incasing the engine in a shell into which the cylinders may exhaust for the dual purpose of serving as a mufller and precipitating the Oil of the exhaustupon-the working parts and which shell may also serve as a protecting housing for the engine; and other structural details which will hereafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an axial section of an engine embodying the several features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the valve controlling mechanism.

screw-threading them into the crank casing and surroundingthem by jam-nuts 2 2 are the exhaust ports for the cylinders. The

crank case has a head 3, preferably integraltherewith, and a head 4 secured thereto by tapsscrews or otherwise. It also has, preferably, a removable end cap 5 outside of the head 3. 6 represents a. crank shaft which is fixedly mounted against rotation and upon which the head 3 is mounted to rotate through means of bearings 7 and upon which said head is packed by means of the gland 8.

,9 representsthe crank pin oreccentrically located Wrist of the crank shaft, which re ceivesthe straps or rings 10 of the piston rods 11, each of which is Preferably provided with an anti-friction bearing 1O upon the crank pin and with an axially extending arm or ofi'set 10 through which it receives its corresponding piston rod 11 extending from the piston .12., The piston rods are thus left all in one radial plane, yet eachhas its own independent bearing ring or strap which enables it to maintain a true radial relatlon to'the crank, notwithstanding all the strapsare in different planes. The workingstroke is, transmitted through pressure of the axial ofi'set arms upon the straps upon which they he, Tic bands. 10 provide firm anchorage for the otherwise free ends of arms 10 to enable them to resist any load imposed radially outward upon them. The end of the crank 13, remote from the shaft 6 is supported in the head a through means of a suitable journal bearino' 13. A shaft section 14 keyed to the head et at 15, gives support to the other side of the revolving group of cylinders and constitutes the connection through which power is delivered by the engine. 16 is a casing which surrounds the entire engine, having packings l6 on the fixed end of the shaft 6 and 16 on the driving end 1 1-. This casing has an exhaust port 17 at top and a drainage port 18 at bottom; or it may exhaust and drain through the. bottom port.

19 represents a valve chest containing valve 20 which consists of differential disks 20, 20", having their intermediate space in con'n'nunication with the port 21 leading to the working space of the cylinder. In the event of pressure developing in the cylinder in excess of that in the pressure medium chest 19, valve 20 will automatically open and avoid breakage. 22 represents the valve stem working in the supply passage 23 which communicates with the space 211- between the heads 3 and 5, which is kept supplied with pressure medium preferably through the bore 25 in the stationary shaft 6. Inasmuch as considerable centrifugal force will be developed in the valves 20 in the rotation of the cylinder group, each is provided with a counterweight 26 acting centrifugally in the same direction as the valve but transferring its energy through lever 27 and pin 28 to the valve stem 22, in the opposite direction and therefore tending to hold the valve seated. The inner end of the valve stem 22 is provided with roller 29 through which the valve may be unseated in opposition to seating pressure (spring 30 or counterbalance 26) and located in position to co-act with rollers 29, is a cam 31pivoted at 32, with spring 33 normally holding it out of the path of the roller 29 (as for instance against the stop 33,) while'a lever arm 34 carried by the rock shaft 35 projecting eoaxially with the fixed shaft 6, is adapted to engage the cam 31 and rock it upon its pivot 32, until it projects a greater or less distance into the path of the roller 29. The construction is such that the cam enters the path first at its inner end and from there gradually outward toward its end and by the degree of interposition, will determine the duration of engagement with the valve roller and therefore the duration of valve opening or direct pressure drive. The length of the cam is such that engagement with one roller may be prolonged until the roller of a succeeding valve moves upon the cam or more than one succeeding valve is found desirable, so that direct pressure drive may be carried on in more than one cylinder at a time. Valve 31 has a symmetrical counterpart 31 Which is pivoted at 32 in position to be controlled by spring 33, stop 33" lever 34, when the latter is moved oppositely, and the engine is thereby adapted for graduated reverse running as well as forward running.

The rings 10 are grouped in alinement upon the wrist 9 so that they may be held firmly in position and their bearings kept tight by axial pressure upon them. The arms 10 vary in length according to the distance of the ring from the medial plane of revolution of the engine.

I claim- 1. In an engine having a revolving group of cylinders and means fonsupplying pressure medium thereto; valves for the respective cylinders and valve controlling mechanism adapted to open the valves successively they reach the intake point; said valve mechanism being adapted to prolong the duration of valve opening until asucceeding valve is opened; and comprising a cam member elongated in the direction of valve travel and adjustable in a direction at an angle to its path of travel whereby it is adapted to be interposed into the path of the valves, progressively from the point of the initial valve opening and vary the duration of valve opening relatively to the revolution of the engine.

2. In an engine having a revolving group of cylinders and means for supplying pres sure medium thereto, valves for the respective cylinders and valve controlling mecha nism adapted to open the valves successively as they reach the intake point; said valve mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely disposed cams elongated in the direction of valve travel and adapted to be progressively interposed into the path of the valves commencing at the point of initialvalve opening.

3. In an engine having a revolving group of cylinders and means for supplying pressure medium thereto; valves for the respective cylinders and valve controlling mechanism adapted to open the valves successively as they reach the intake point; said valve mechanism comprising a pair of op positely disposed cams elongated in the direction of valve travel and adapted to be progressively interposed into the path of the valve and a common lever-arm interposed between the cams and adapted to present them in operative position by its opposite movements.

1-. In a revolving cylinder engine'the inlet valves for the respective cylinders closing against pressure within the cylinders and adapted to control the inlet of pressure medium to the cylinders; and means for keeping the inlet valves normally closed but opening them at the commencement of the working strokes, said means yielding to abnormal cylinder pressure upon the inlet valves.

5. In a rotary cylinder engine having a common crankshaft and piston rods in the same radial plane for coaction therewith; independently movable connecting straps for the respective pistons, located in different planes upon the crank-shaft; arms extending from the straps to the plane of and connected with the piston rods, and means for anchoring the free ends of the arms.

6. In a rotary cylinder engine having a common crank-shaft and piston rods in the same radial plane for coaction therewith; independently movable connecting straps for the respective pistons, located in different planes upon the crankshaft; arms extending from the straps, to the plane oi and connected with the piston rods, and means for anchoring the free ends of the arms, con'iprising tie bands 1O surrounding said The foregoing specification signed at New York, New York, this sixteenth day of February, 1917.

GEORGE H. LUTZ. 

